I attended a “Fun Run” at my daughter’s school this morning. How much fun to see 100’s of Kindergartners & 1^st graders running in circles for an hour. The good news is, there were no major injuries (which is pretty amazing with this many kids running in a confined area, and the school raised $1000s of dollars for new electronics in the classrooms.

Last year, the Fun Run was an after school voluntary event, but this year they changed it to a mandatory event run during school hours, thus getting more participants & thus, money. Of course the focus was on exercise, team work & communication (I also found it to be a great math exercise too, as every time my daughter got a new sponsor, she wanted to figure out how much money she would “make” for the school, if she ran X laps).

I was impressed as most of the kids ran the maximum 35 laps (>2 miles), in less than an hour. They definitely got their recommended hour of exercise today!

Are your residents & clients getting the exercise they need? Recent studies suggest that healthy “older adults” get 2 hours and 30 minutes (150 minutes) of moderate-intensity aerobic activity (i.e., brisk walking) every week and muscle-strengthening activities on 2 or more days a week that work all major muscle groups (legs, hips, back, abdomen, chest,  shoulders, and arms).

What are you doing to promote staying fit and healthy to your residents & clients (and colleagues)? Just having a gym & swimming pool & offering classes may not be enough. How about:

• Educating them on fitness needs & exercise options (maybe they don’t know)
• Offer help (some may be embarrassed to try something new)
• Find a place for them to keep track of their exercise & fitness goals (there are numerous options online)
• Make a contest out of it. Mr. & Ms. Fit
• Start a walking/biking/hiking club

Share with us what works best in your community.

Stay fit!

Check out the latest tours shot for New LifeStyles clients:

Run a special – http://sacramento.craigslist.org/apa/3007775006.html

Raise funds -  http://www.mrcaff.org/

Host an event – http://findlocal.courant.com/listings/mothers-day-dinner-bristol-1

                            -http://www.wrayseniors.org/social_opportunities.html

Offer help – http://blog.laureategroup.com/2012/05/creative-gift-ideas-for-mothers-day.html

What are you doing at your community or for your clients to celebrate Mother’s Day? Let us know, even post some pictures & tell us if you will do the same next year.

Have a Happy Mother’s Day to all you Moms out there! To all else, remember all your Mom has done for you!

Well, not exactly, but ALFA is going to be in the Dallas area next week, at the Gaylord Texan resort.  We look forward to seeing current partners and old friends, as well as exchanging views on the current and future state of the Assisted Living industry.  Always great ideas and innovations on display when the leaders in the industry gather.

Please save a few minutes to come by our booth, #1019 and we will try to make it worth your time.

Download the New LifeStyles app from the App Store before you visit (free) and you will be registered an iTunes gift card drawing ($50).  We will also have a drawing for other prizes, just for stopping by and saying hi!

We will be featuring:

- New LifeStyles digitial guide and web site

- NLMS web site design, building and SEO services

- The award winning iPhone app and mobile site

Plus, you can put a name with the face of people you have been working with for years!

12:00 – 3:30 on May 16th

10:30 – 1:00 on May 17th

We will see you there!

(if you need any tips on places to visit or restaurants to hit, please let us know)

Thanks!  Doug

Its the season of the graduation.  In today’s society, that can mean everything from a 6 year-old graduating from kindergarden, a high school student moving on to college or a promising doctor leaving Med School.

Graduation can also mean changes at a company, such as graduating to a new level.

When it comes to marketing, companies should always look to graduate to that next level when they see success.  If an ad in a print piece is garnering you some interest and calls, would the next level of ad result in a better return on investment?

If you have some small information and a link to your site on a search engine, would adding a vitual tour or more details on your services bring higher traffic and more leads?

Do you have a web site?  Are people finding your site?  Is there plenty of information to get them to visit or call?  Might be time to graduate to a larger site with more information for your potential residents and maybe more content to keep people coming back to your site.  Do you have a great site, but haven’t been able to draw much traffic?  Could be time to look at an SEO service to drive that traffic and increase your results in search engines.

If any of these ideas motivate you, let us know.  New LifeStyles can work with you to increase your presence and help you graduate to the next level of marketing success.  We can give you traffic numbers in your area and Luke can quote you on a web site upgrade and/or SEO service.

Skip the cap & gown and go straight to the punch and cookies, time for greater marketing success!

1. Do Residents Give Better Tours Than Senior Living Sales People?

2. Will Spring Cleaning Close Sales?

3.  How To Deliver Value In The First 5 Minutes When Selling Senior Living

4. The Marketing Power of the Unexpected

5. Pump Up Your Community’s Referral Base by Hosting Continuing Education Classes

Learn more about the history of Cinco de Mayo at http://www.mexonline.com/cinco-de-mayo.htm

Salud!

The people have spoken & they want to see … price range, nearby businesses & upcoming events.

In a survey completed by people who had recently visited newlifestyles.com, we got the following results:

They want to:

•          Be able to compare providers side by side
•          See reviews
•          Share information

The majority were satisfied to very satisfied with the site on a whole, but they would like to see more tours and other helpful resources. 82% also plan on returning to the site for future needs.

Give your potential customers what they want. Consider adding these options to your listing now!

We are now reaching out to end users and professionals (social workers & discharge planners specifically) for help in designing our new site.

If you have used NewLifeStyles.com to find a senior community or care for a loved one, please click here to complete our end user survey.

If you use the site to find senior living & care for clients or patients, please click here to complete our professionals survey

Thank you for your feedback! We strive to give our clients and end users the best  online experience possible!

Activity is beneficial to lowering resident’s alzheimer’s risk:

http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/04/27/daily-activity-tied-to-lower-alzheimers-risk/?smid=tw-nytimeshealth&seid=auto

Top Cities for Retirement:

http://t.co/HfKFy3nC

Will Boomers make shifts in culture, language, etc.:

http://longevityrules.blogspot.com/2012/04/will-boomers-change-words-perceptions.html?spref=fb

With the spring in full swing and summer approaching quickly, warmer, then hotter temperatures will soon be here.  It is important to make sure residents at your community and seniors in general are staying cool and not putting themselves at risk of a heat-related emergency.

What better way to help accomplish this then ice cream.  Ice cream is more then just a frozen treat, it creates a social atmosphere and helps stir memories in many peoples’ lives.

Everyone can participate in an Ice Cream social, helping with the spirit of your community.  There are a wide variety of ice cream products to meet everyone’s tastes and health requirements.  You can also use the Ice Cream social to draw families in for a fun visit or perspective residents in for a look at your property.

So, make the most of your butter pecan, chocolate chip or orange sherbet this summer.  It can be a social hub for residents, families and guests, while also providing a respite from the summer heat.

Got an Ice Cream social on your upcoming calendar?  Let us know, I may just show up with my spoon and some toasted almonds.

Cheers, Doug